The Official Groo Appreciation Thread! 9 9

[whetteon]

Yeah, not paying that much for a duck comic.

[Bronty]

Yeah,  I'd much rather buy the PC series or the Eclipse special if I was going to buy groo slabs.   The four page first appearance is neat, but you can't see it in a slab and the destroyer duck cover is hard to look at.

 

[MAR1979]

On 5/31/2022 at 2:28 PM, Bronty said:

Yeah,  I'd much rather buy the PC series or the Eclipse special if I was going to buy groo slabs.   The four page first appearance is neat, but you can't see it in a slab and the destroyer duck cover is hard to look at.

 

 

Destroyer Duck 1 9.8's  are now barely scraping $700 and the grip is extremely tenuous. Those who paid $1500-$1900 have every right to be worried as this book still has plenty of room to free fall to it's floor and then will stagnate.   I wager 9.6's will be below $150 with no demand by year's end.  Temporary Dead Cat Bounce aside, it is plausible this book may never be hot again in our lifetimes (fool me once applies to those who have been burned) and frankly never should have it high levels to begin with as a mere animation rights exploration announcement at best is a "nothing burger".  

As "keys" like Destroyer Duck #1, Groo Pacific #1,7, Groo Marvel 1 continue to plummet we'll learn who are the true Groo fans are - they will be the one's still participating in this thread as it again becomes about Groo the Character and not Bubble Market reports and hyperbole.

 

 

P.S.  I see gocollect is still trying to fool the same ol' rubes with the same ol' tired lines..  This past week they added Groo 1 to list of "undervalued comics". Appears the writer (Ohlandt ) is stuck with a cache of them purchased Dec 2021-Feb 2022 at market highs.  Want to get burned financially buying comics, then simply believe any of the $elf-$erving hyperbole on GoCollect. 

Edited July 5, 2022 by MAR1979

[Toz]

Several years  back I made friends with an Ebay seller in Canada.He worked at a comic book shop back in the 1980's and pulled the highest grade copies for himself.I bought the heck out of his sales.Sent 2 of the books I got off him in to be graded and both came back 9.8

Among these were a full run of Pacific Groo & maybe the Eclipse Special.That was 12-15 years ago & they have never seen the light of day since.Keepers till I die.

[Bronty]

On 7/4/2022 at 11:50 AM, MAR1979 said:

 

Destroyer Duck 1 9.8's  are now barely scraping $700 and the grip is extremely tenuous. Those who paid $1500-$1900 have every right to be worried as this book still has plenty of room to free fall to it's floor and then will stagnate.   I wager 9.6's will be below $150 with no demand by year's end.  Temporary Dead Cat Bounce aside, it is plausible this book may never be hot again in our lifetimes (fool me once applies to those who have been burned) and frankly never should have it high levels to begin with as a mere animation rights exploration announcement at best is a "nothing burger".  

As "keys" like Destroyer Duck #1, Groo Pacific #1,7, Groo Marvel 1 continue to plummet we'll learn who are the true Groo fans are - they will be the one's still participating in this thread as it again becomes about Groo the Character and not Bubble Market reports and hyperbole.

 

 

P.S.  I see gocollect is still trying to fool the same ol' rubes with the same ol' tired lines..  This past week they added Groo 1 to list of "undervalued comics". Appears the writer (Ohlandt ) is stuck with a cache of them purchased Dec 2021-Feb 2022 at market highs.  Want to get burned financially buying comics, then simply believe any of the $elf-$erving hyperbole on GoCollect. 

They are awesome regardless of what they sell for.

That being said, a lot of things are dropping, so whether these drop or not at the moment is also a nothingburger.

I guess we will see.    I don't like DD1 too much as a book to pay a lot of money for as the four page story while cool is brief and there is no cover appearance.   The PC #1 and the Eclipse special are the best books to have IMO.     I think we need some renewed interest for those to bump meaningfully.   

[MAR1979]

On 7/6/2022 at 1:10 PM, Bronty said:

I guess we will see.    I don't like DD1 too much as a book to pay a lot of money for as the four page story while cool is brief and there is no cover appearance.   The PC #1 and the Eclipse special are the best books to have IMO.     I think we need some renewed interest for those to bump meaningfully.   

Of course as you mention current drop, and perhaps soon freefall, parallels the Comic market as a whole. But additional factors for Groo may apply?

This Post as usual is in IMHO

Groo for the most part since day 1 has been niche at most.  The animation rights exploration announcement, which anyone in the business will tell you pretty much almost always leads to nothing, cause many speculators and flippers jump into the fray and gobble up DD1 and Groo PC 1. A few of them of course made coin, but I'm sure just as many lost given market events. Those who have been burned on certain comics in past will likley not want to get burned a second time on the same books.

Sergio and Mark are both getting older (we all are), while they are not wealthy they are comfortable, based on musings in Evanier's blog going back the past decade they have no desire to take on the type of workload a series will involve. In addition it appears Sergio is adamant about controlling His Character.

Without Sergio and Mark attached, any effort would simply loose its charm and character like Groo will become very old and tired very fast. Again even for Comics Book Readers and Collectors Groo is niche with most having little interest in seeing ship after ship the character is on sink. Will the general public really care to see that or care about Cheese Dip or Mulching?

Dead cat bounces aside, I think best to accept Groo values have already reached their high tide and that tide is going out possibly to pre-Covid levels in the next 6-10 months . Which I think is excellent news as Groo should be about fans and collectors of the character not about mendicants buying up copies in hopes of making a quick profit per unit.

 

 

Disclosure: I own 9.8w slabbed and raw copies of all books I've mentioned, and Eclipse #1 has a special place in my nostalgic memories.  So "take me for the fool that I am"  as I care more about enjoying and having others enjoy the Character than personal profit or the dopamine hit that most get when they see a comic go up in value.

Edited July 6, 2022 by MAR1979

[Bronty]

On 7/6/2022 at 1:55 PM, MAR1979 said:

Of course as you mention current drop, and perhaps soon freefall, parallels the Comic market as a whole. But additional factors for Groo may apply?

This Post as usual is in IMHO

Groo for the most part since day 1 has been niche at most.  The animation rights exploration announcement, which anyone in the business will tell you pretty much almost always leads to nothing, cause many speculators and flippers jump into the fray and gobble up DD1 and Groo PC 1. A few of them of course made coin, but I'm sure just as many lost given market events. Those who have been burned on certain comics in past will likley not want to get burned a second time on the same books.

Sergio and Mark are both getting older (we all are), while they are not wealthy they are comfortable, based on musings in Evanier's blog going back the past decade they have no desire to take on the type of workload a series will involve. In addition it appears Sergio is adamant about controlling His Character.

Without Sergio and Mark attached, any effort would simply loose its charm and character like Groo will become very old and tired very fast. Again even for Comics Book Readers and Collectors Groo is niche with most having little interest in seeing ship after ship the character is on sink. Will the general public really care to see that or care about Cheese Dip or Mulching?

Dead cat bounces aside, I think best to accept Groo values have already reached their high tide and that tide is going out possibly to pre-Covid levels in the next 6-10 months . Which I think is excellent news as Groo should be about fans and collectors of the character not about mendicants buying up copies in hopes of making a quick profit per unit.

 

 

Disclosure: I own 9.8w slabbed and raw copies of all books I've mentioned, and Eclipse #1 has a special place in my nostalgic memories.  So "take me for the fool that I am"  as I care more about enjoying and having others enjoy the Character than personal profit or the dopamine hit that most get when they see a comic go up in value.

Sure, I've heard you make this comment, more or less, previously, and I don't disagree.   Its a fantastic title and CERTAINLY one of the best humor titles ever published, but anything that isn't a marvel superhero with a cape in a movie is a tough sell in the current environment.   

That being said, its a genuinely funny series and character and you never know what the right creative team could do with him.    It might surprise you.   If they can make actually interesting Marvel, Pikachu, and Sonic movies, they can make an entertaining Groo series.    Getting the funding would be the tough part, but you never know.     It may be a bit of a niche character but the people who love Groo REALLY love Groo. 

 

[jeffreyk]

I remember that Groo was the first book I would read after picking up my weekly comics in college in the mid to late 80s.  It was well written and very enjoyable.  I looked forward to it.  Are there any Groo compilations or omnibuses that anyone knows of?  I havent seen any.

[jick]

I haven't visited this thread in a while.  Here are updates that I am aware of personally.

Destroyer Duck #1 CGC 9.8 just sold in open eBay auction for $710.

Groo Pacific #1 sold recently at a Buy It Now for $299.  It looks like there are listings of a couple of those with new registry numbers so I did a certlookup.  CGC 9.8's of this first cover appearance of Groo has now hit a population of 144 copies, still very small.

Is Sergio working on a new Groo book?  It looks like there has been no news on that front although I understand they will make a final installment in their "Gods" series of mini-series.  Serio and Mark have also been quiet in YouTube, no new Q&A's.  However, Sergio has been drawing a lot of new Groo artwork that has been posted in the "Aragones Cartoons" FB page presumably run by his daughter.  I'd say over half the artwork have sold out.  All those with ships have sailed, and most of the ones in size 3" x 17" are gone.  The artworks are fully rendered (aka more than just a sketch of scribble) and are usually in 8.5 X 11 although a few were are 9 x 12 and 11 x 17.  If I recall correctly the 11x17 were priced at around $3000. 

Carsten Laqua - a dealer in Europe who sells Aragones art - has sold out of virtually all his Groo art.  There have been at least two new waves (meaning they appeared in two separate advanced catalogs) of Groo published art that did not even make it to be listed to his website but were all gone.

So while Groo is a niche character, it seems the available Groo collectibles out there (original art and CGC 9.8's) are also so few and far between that they can still get sold out meaning the number of niche collectors are more than enough.

Even without a movie, I don't think Destroyer Duck #1 will continue its freefall because the original art keeps getting sold out.  Groo has more fans than we give him credit for.

[jick]

On 6/1/2022 at 1:06 AM, whetteon said:

Yeah, not paying that much for a duck comic.

That's why I think the Pacific Groo #1 is the comic to get.  Kinda like how it's Hulk 181 instead of Hulk 180 (sorry don't mean to open that can of worms), or how it's ASM #300 and not that early issue where Venom made a cameo (was it #298?).

 

On 6/1/2022 at 2:28 AM, Bronty said:

Yeah,  I'd much rather buy the PC series or the Eclipse special if I was going to buy groo slabs.   The four page first appearance is neat, but you can't see it in a slab and the destroyer duck cover is hard to look at.

 

It's can't be THAT hard to look at.  I mean it's Jack Kirby inked by Neal Adams - it's not often you get to see two living legends work on the same cover and have the interiors contain the first appearance of comics' longest running independet character.

 

[MAR1979]

On 7/10/2022 at 5:03 AM, jick said:

 ASM #300 and not that early issue where Venom made a cameo (was it #298?).



Even without a movie, I don't think Destroyer Duck #1 will continue its freefall because the original art keeps getting sold out.  Groo has more fans than we give him credit for.

 

#299 it was a last page full page Venom splash which some like myself consider to be one of the definitive McFarlane Venom Images.  IMHO is just as definitive as Cover to ASM 316.   Venom has no full splashes in 300, nor no half splashes in #300 but the collecting powers that be have deemed 300 as the issue to get.

===================

You point on Art prices is linear and is coming from a position of logic but appears to assume the collectors of Art and Comics are the same factions.

I disagree with your assertion. I've been in the OCA hobby since 1999.  From my observation Aragones art has always been in demand. Keep in mind that most OCA collectors do not collect Comic Books and most art collectors collect artist rather than titles. Yes on the CGC boards here it skews towards those who collect comics, but for every 10 art collectors i know perhaps one that also collect comics. As for me I pretty much stopped collecting (but holding onto) comics the moment I started with art. Only having returned the past few years due to late 1960's to early 1980's art prices being more than my wallet can handle thus I'm now in hold mode on Art

Another factor: A decent page from a $20 1981 DC Comic by even a B list artist for example, may command $500-$4000 depending on it's imagery and other factors. Yet the comic is still $20.  

Art prices seldom affects comics, Secret Wars 8 recently come to mind as rare outlier, although that bump may have already faded. In reverse comics prices are likley to boost art prices and that does happen all the time.

 

My opinion if you have a DD#1 or even Groo PC 1 to sell do not wait it might be decade before the prices even sniff levels of just a few months ago.

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by MAR1979

[whetteon]

On 7/10/2022 at 4:03 AM, jick said:

 

 

It's can't be THAT hard to look at.  I mean it's Jack Kirby inked by Neal Adams - it's not often you get to see two living legends work on the same cover and have the interiors contain the first appearance of comics' longest running independet character.

 

Ohh, but it is.

[Bronty]

 

On 7/8/2022 at 1:08 PM, jeffreyk said:

I remember that Groo was the first book I would read after picking up my weekly comics in college in the mid to late 80s.  It was well written and very enjoyable.  I looked forward to it.  Are there any Groo compilations or omnibuses that anyone knows of?  I havent seen any.

there are lots of trade paperbacks that reprint various issues, but the original issues themselves are really not expensive.    You can put together a complete collection for a few hundred dollars, tops.

[jeffreyk]

On 7/11/2022 at 10:34 AM, Bronty said:

 

there are lots of trade paperbacks that reprint various issues, but the original issues themselves are really not expensive.    You can put together a complete collection for a few hundred dollars, tops.

Thanks! I am considering doing that.

[Bronty]

Try the groo facebook group.   From time to time there are people on there selling complete sets.

[buckycap]

Looking to expand by Groo collection if anyone is looking to sell:

 

[jick]

No more action in this thread for two months.

Groo Pacific #1 CGC 9.8 now below $300 in eBay completed listing.  There is a listing for $319 BIN but now moving.

Destroyer Duck 1 CGC 9.8, no sale since that $710 on July.  Current lowest listing is $1,200 and remains unsold.

Speaking of $1,200, I think that money is better spent with Groo original art.  I just got three new drawings from Sergio Aragones, who just turned 85 years earlier this month.

I think virtually all the hype of Groo and the movie rights acquisition has died down, and Groo is destined to be like most other vintage comic strips whose original art isn't worth much.  After all, when we are all gone, do the younger generation or incoming generation of collectors even know Groo?

 

[Microchip]

On 9/18/2022 at 1:31 AM, jick said:

No more action in this thread for two months.

Groo Pacific #1 CGC 9.8 now below $300 in eBay completed listing.  There is a listing for $319 BIN but now moving.

Destroyer Duck 1 CGC 9.8, no sale since that $710 on July.  Current lowest listing is $1,200 and remains unsold.

Speaking of $1,200, I think that money is better spent with Groo original art.  I just got three new drawings from Sergio Aragones, who just turned 85 years earlier this month.

I think virtually all the hype of Groo and the movie rights acquisition has died down, and Groo is destined to be like most other vintage comic strips whose original art isn't worth much.  After all, when we are all gone, do the younger generation or incoming generation of collectors even know Groo?

 

The name has been muddied out there in cultural media world, Gru, Groot, straight away it's on the back foot.   

[Bronty]

interesting point

[paqart]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:53 PM, jeffreyk said:

My Groo collection.

 

When I moved to Hollywood in 1996 to work on the Space Jam movie, I decided to sell my comics. I sold all of my Kirby Fourth World issues, all my TMNT's, Spider-Mans, pretty much everything except 4 series that I liked: John Byrne's Next Men, Byrne's Wonder Woman run, Venus Wars, and Groo. Groo was my favorite of the group. To me, Groo is as much of a singular achievement in the comic art form as Carl Barks' duck comics and Will Eisner's Spirit.

Now, although I still have the Groos, I'm thinking that selling all the other comics was a bit Groo-like.